Chapter 25 — "Spot the Niphal" Passage Exercise

Genesis 3, 6, and 21 · The Garden, the Flood Prelude, and Beersheba

Instructions: For each numbered verb, answer Is it Niphal? (Yes / No). Then for every verb:
  1. Parse it — give conjugation, person-gender-number, and root.
  2. State the semantic function (Passive / Reflexive / Middle / Simple action — or "NOT Niphal" for distractors).
Distractors (#2, #7, #16) are Qal verbs from the same passages. Click ▶ Answer on any row to reveal the correct parsing inline.

Passage A — Genesis 3:5–10

3:5
וִֽהְיִיתֶם֙ כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים יֹדְעֵ֖י טוֹב וָרָ֑ע כִּ֣י יֹדֵ֔עַ אֱלֹהִ֕ים כִּ֗י בְּיֹ֛ום אֲכָלְכֶ֥ם מִמֶּ֖נּוּ וְנִפְקְח֖וּ עֵינֵיכֶ֑ם

"…for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will [1] ____."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
1 וְנִפְקְחוּ
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Weqatal · 3cp · פָּקַח | Middle — "will be opened" (eyes open themselves)
3:6
וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טֹוב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל

"So when the woman [2] ____ that the tree was good for food … and the tree was [3] ____ to make one wise."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
2 וַתֵּרֶא
✗ ✗ No — Qal | Wayyiqtol · 3fs · רָאָה | NOT Niphal — Qal: she saw; Qal wayyiqtol 3fs; no נ-/תִ- Niphal marker
3 וְנֶחְמָד
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Participle ms · ms · חָמַד | Passive — "desirable" (substantival participle: "desired/desirable")
3:7
וַתִּפָּקַ֙חְנָה֙ עֵינֵ֣י שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם

"Then the eyes of both of them [4] ____."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
4 וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 3fp · פָּקַח | Middle — "they were opened" (the eyes opened)
3:10
וָאִירָ֛א כִּֽי־עֵירֹ֥ם אָנֹ֖כִי וָאֵחָבֵֽא

"I was afraid, because I was naked, and [5] ____."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
5 וָאֵחָבֵא
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 1cs · חָבָא | Reflexive — "I hid myself"

Passage B — Genesis 6:6–12

6:6
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ

"And the LORD [6] ____ that he [7] ____ man on the earth."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
6 וַיִּנָּחֶם
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 3ms · נָחַם | Simple Action (Niphal-only) — "he regretted / relented"
7 עָשָׂה
✗ ✗ No — Qal | Perfect · 3ms · עָשָׂה | NOT Niphal — Qal: he had made; contrast with Niphal וַיִּנָּחֶם earlier in the verse
6:7
נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם

"I [8] ____ that I made them."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
8 נִחַמְתִּי
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Weqatal · 1cs · נָחַם | Simple Action (Niphal-only) — "I regret"
6:11
וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ … וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס

"The earth [9] ____ … and the earth [10] ____ with violence."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
9 וַתִּשָּׁחֵת
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 3fs · שָׁחַת | Passive — "it was corrupted"
10 וַתִּמָּלֵא
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 3fs · מָלֵא | Passive — "it was filled"
6:12
וְהִנֵּ֥ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר

"and behold, it [11] ____, for all flesh had corrupted its way."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
11 נִשְׁחָתָה
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Weqatal · 3fs · שָׁחַת | Passive — "it was corrupt"
6:21
וְאָסַפְתָּ֣ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְהָיָ֥ה לְךָ֖ וְלָהֶ֥ם לְאָכְלָֽה יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל

"Gather it to yourself; it shall be food for you and for them — it shall [12] ____."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
12 יֵאָכֵל
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Imperfect · 3ms · אָכַל | Passive — "it shall be eaten"

Passage C — Genesis 21:23–31

21:23
הִשָּׁ֨בְעָ֜ה לִּ֗י בֵּאלֹהִ֛ים הֵ֖נָּה

"[13] ____ to me by God here."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
13 הִשָּׁבְעָה
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Imperative · 2ms · שָׁבַע | Reflexive — "Swear!" (bind yourself by oath)
21:24
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אָנֹכִ֖י אִשָּׁבֵֽעַ

"And Abraham said, 'I [14] ____.'"

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
14 אִשָּׁבֵעַ
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Imperfect · 1cs · שָׁבַע | Reflexive — "I will swear"
21:31
כִּ֛י שָׁ֥ם נִשְׁבְּע֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם

"For there [15] ____ both of them."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
15 נִשְׁבְּעוּ
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Weqatal · 3mp · שָׁבַע | Reflexive — "they swore" (bound themselves by oath)

Bonus — Genesis 21:3–8

21:3
אֲשֶׁר־נּֽוֹלַד־לֹ֛ו

"who had been born to him"

21:8
וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל הַיֶּ֙לֶד֙ וַיִּגָּמַ֑ל

"And the child [16] ____ and was weaned."

#VerbNiphal?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
B1 נּוֹלַד
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Weqatal · 3ms · יָלַד | Passive — "who had been born"
16 וַיִּגְדַּל
✗ ✗ No — Qal | Wayyiqtol · 3ms · גָּדַל | NOT Niphal — Qal: grew; active Qal; contrast with B2 Niphal passive of different root in same verse
B2 וַיִּגָּמַל
✓ ✓ Yes — Niphal | Wayyiqtol · 3ms · גָּמַל | Passive — "was weaned"
Score: 13 Niphal + 3 non-Niphal + 2 bonus = 18 total (distractors #2, #7, #16 are unscored practice).   15–18 = excellent  |  11–14 = review the paradigm  |  below 11 = revisit §23.3–23.13
Note: Items 6–8 (וַיִּנָּחֶם / נִחַמְתִּי) are both from נָחַם, a verb that occurs almost exclusively in the Niphal. Items 13–15 all parse as Reflexive from שָׁבַע — notice how Imperative, Imperfect, and Weqatal all express the same oath-swearing action.

Conjugation Coverage

ConjugationItems
Wayyiqtol (6)#4, #5, #6, #9, #10, B2
Weqatal (5)#1, #8, #11, #15, B1
Imperfect (2)#12, #14
Participle (1)#3
Imperative (1)#13
Non-Niphal (3)#2 (Qal Wayyiqtol 3fs), #7 (Qal Perfect 3ms), #16 (Qal Wayyiqtol 3ms)

Reflection Questions

  1. Every Niphal in Passage A (Gen 3) involves eyes, hiding, or desire. What does the Niphal contribute to the theological message of the Fall narrative?
  2. In Gen 6:6–7, God is the subject of a Niphal-only verb (נָחַם). What does this choice tell us about how the narrator portrays God's emotional response?
  3. Compare Gen 3:5 (וְנִפְקְחוּ — "will be opened," Middle/Tolerative) with Gen 3:7 (וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה — "were opened," Middle). Is the function identical in both? What difference in nuance, if any, does the shift from weqatal to wayyiqtol suggest?